“Saga,” “Sex Criminals” Among Big Winners at Harvey Awards

By Courtney Key

The ninth annual Harvey Awards were handed out during Baltimore Comic Con on Sept. 6, and Saga dominated the awards.

Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples took home honors for Best Writer and Best Artist, respectively, while the book itself won for Best Continuing or Limited Series. Additionally, Staples won Best Cover Artist for the title.

Another Image title, Sex Criminals, won Best New Series, and Sex Criminals artist Chip Zdarsky was named Most Promising New Talent.

The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, published by Dark Horse Comics, took home the prize for Best Graphic Novel.

The Harvey Awards are named after Harvey Kurtzman, the founding editor of MAD Magazine, and selected by comics creators.

Special awards were given to the late Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, as the first recipient of the Harvey Kurtzman Hall of Fame Award, and artist Herb Trimpe was given the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award. Artist Stan Goldberg, who passed away Aug. 31 and was mentioned on last week’s Talking Comics podcast by Bob Reyer, received the Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Best Writer
James Asmus, QUANTUM AND WOODY, Valiant Entertainment
Matt Fraction, HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
Matt Kindt, MIND MGMT, Dark Horse Comics
Brian K. Vaughan, SAGA, Image Comics
Mark Waid, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics

Best Artist
David Aja, HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
Dan Parent, KEVIN KELLER, Archie Comics
Nate Powell, MARCH: BOOK ONE, Top Shelf Production
Chris Samnee, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics
Jeff Stokely, SIX GUN GORILLA, BOOM! Studios

Best Cartoonist
Matt Kindt, MIND MGMT, Dark Horse Comics
Comfort Love and Adam Withers, RAINBOW IN THE DARK, uniquescomic.com
Terry Moore, RACHEL RISING, Abstract Studios
Dan Parent, KEVIN KELLER, Archie Comics
David Petersen, MOUSE GUARD: THE BLACK AXE, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
Paul Pope, BATTLING BOY, First Second

Best Letterer
Deron Bennett, CYBORG 009, Archaia
Dave Lanphear, QUANTUM AND WOODY, Valiant Entertainment
Terry Moore, RACHEL RISING, Abstract Studio
Steve Wands, ADVENTURE TIME, kaBOOM!
Britt Wilson, ADVENTURE TIME WITH FIONNA AND CAKE, kaBOOM!

Best Inker
Vanesa R. Del Rey, HIT, BOOM! Studios
Stefano Gaudiano, THE WALKING DEAD, Image Comics
Danny Miki, BATMAN, DC Comics
Brian Stelfreeze, DAY MEN, BOOM! Studios
Wade Von Grawbadger, ALL NEW X-MEN, Marvel Comics

Best Colorist
Jordan Bellaire, PRETTY DEADLY, Image Comics
Marte Gracia, ALL NEW X-MEN, Marvel Comics
Matt Hollingsworth, HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
Brian Reber, UNITY, Valiant Entertainment
Dave Stewart, HELLBOY: THE MIDNIGHT CIRCUS, Dark Horse Comics

Best Cover Artist
Goni Montes, CLIVE BARKER’S NEXT TESTAMENT
Andrew Robinson, QUANTUM AND WOODY, Valiant Entertainment
Chris Samnee, DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
Fiona Staples, SAGA, Image Comics
Brian Stelfreeze, DAY MEN, BOOM! Studios

Most Promising New Talent
James Asmus, QUANTUM AND WOODY, Valiant Entertainment
Pere Perez, ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG, HARBINGER WARS, Valiant Entertainment
Victor Santos, POLAR: CAME FROM THE COLD, DARK HORSE PRESENTS, Dark Horse Comics
Jeff Stokely, SIX GUN GORILLA, BOOM! Studios
Chip Zdarsky, SEX CRIMINALS, Image Comics

Best New Series
AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, Archie Comics
QUANTUM AND WOODY, Valiant Entertainment
SEX CRIMINALS, Image Comics
SIX GUN GORILLA, BOOM! Studios
SUICIDE RISK, BOOM! Studios

Best Continuing or Limited Series
ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG, Valiant Entertainment
DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics
HAWKEYE, Marvel Comics
HIT, BOOM! Studios
MOUSE GUARD: LEGENDS OF THE GUARD VOL. 2, Archaia
SAGA, Image Comics

Best Syndicated Strip or Panel
DICK TRACY, Joe Staton and Mike Curtis, Tribune Media Services
FOX TROT, Bill Amend, Universal Uclick
GET FUZZY, Darby Conley, Universal Uclick
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, King Features
THE PHANTOM, Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan, King Features Syndicate

Best Anthology
DARK HORSE PRESENTS, Dark Horse Comics
MOUSE GUARD: LEGENDS OF THE GUARD VOLUME 2, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
OUTLAW TERRITORY 3, Image Comics
SPERA, VOLUME 3, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR, BOOM! Studios/Archaia

Best Graphic Album – Original
BATTLING BOY, First Second
CYBORG 009, Archaia
MARCH: BOOK ONE, Top Shelf Productions
THE FIFTH BEATLE: THE BRIAN EPSTEIN STORY, Dark Horse Comics
THE REASON FOR DRAGONS, BOOM! Studios/Archaia

Best Graphic Album – Previously Published
HARBINGER VOLUME 1: OMEGA RISING, Valiant Entertainment
THE KILLER OMNIBUS VOLUME 1, Archaia
MOUSE GUARD VOL. 3: THE BLACK AXE, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
POLARITY, BOOM! Studios
RAINBOW IN THE DARK: THE COMPLETE SAGA, Comfort Love and Adam Withers

Best Single Issue or Story
ADVENTURE TIME ANNUAL #1, kaBOOM!
DEMETER, self-published, Becky Cloonan
A Kiss ISN’T Just A Kiss!, KEVIN KELLER #10, Archie Comics
Now and Then, DARK HORSE PRESENTS #30, Dark Horse Comics
Pizza is My Business, HAWKEYE #11, Marvel Comics
SUICIDE RISK #5, BOOM! Studios
UNITY #1, Valiant Entertainment

Best Domestic Reprint Project
BARNABY VOLUME 1, Fantagraphics
BEST OF COMIX BOOK: WHEN MARVEL COMICS WENT UNDERGROUND, Kitchen Sink Books/Dark Horse
FRAGGLE ROCK CLASSICS VOLUME 2, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
VALIANT MASTERS: NINJAK VOLUME 1 – BLACK WATER, Valiant Entertainment
VALIANT MASTERS: SHADOWMAN VOLUME 1 SPIRITS WITHIN, Valiant Entertainment

Best American Edition of Foreign Material
ATTACK ON TITAN, Kodansha
THE KILLER, VOLUME 4, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
SHOWA: A HISTORY OF JAPAN 1926-1939, Drawn and Quarterly
SUNNY, Viz Signature
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, Fantagraphics

Best Online Comics Work
BATTLEPUG, Mike Norton, battlepug.com
THE DREAMER, Lora Innes, thedreamercomic.com
GUNNERKRIGG COURT, Tom Siddell, gunnerkrigg.com
JL8, Yale Stewart, jl8comic.tumblr.com
TABLE TITANS, Scott Kurtz, Steve Hamaker, and Brian Hurtt, tabletitans.com

Special Award for Humor in Comics
James Asmus, QUANTUM AND WOODY, Valiant Entertainment
Ryan North, ADVENTURE TIME, KaBOOM!
Dan Parent, KEVIN KELLER, Archie Comics
Fred Van Lente, ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG, Valiant Entertainment
Jim Zub, SKULLKICKERS, Image Comics

Special Award for Excellence in Presentation
BEST OF COMIX BOOK: WHEN MARVEL COMICS WENT UNDERGROUND, John Lind, Kitchen Sink Books/Dark Horse Comics
CYBORG 009, Stephen Christy, Archaia
HARBINGER WARS, Josh Johns and Warren Simons, Valiant Entertainment
THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR, Joe LeFavi, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
UNITY, Alejandro Arbona, Josh Johns, and Warren Simons, Valiant Entertainment

Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation
AL CAPP: A LIFE TO THE CONTRARY, Denis Kitchen, Bloomsbury
AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES: THE 1950S, TwoMorrows Publishing
ART OF RUBE GOLDBERG, Jennifer George, Abrams ComicArts
CO-MIX: A RETROSPECTIVE OF COMICS, GRAPHICS, AND SCRAPS, Art Spiegelman, Drawn and Quarterly
THE FIFTH BEATLE: THE BRIAN EPSTEIN STORY, by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker, Dark Horse
MARCH: BOOK ONE, John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, Top Shelf Productions

Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers
ADVENTURE TIME, KaBOOM! Studios
BATTLING BOY, First Second
G-MAN: COMING HOME, Image Comics
MONSTER ON THE HILL, Top Shelf Productions
ONLY LIVING BOY, Bottled Lightning

Source: Comic Book Resources